Friday, October 25, 2013

We hope you've been enjoying these ideas this week for an amazing Spider-Man birthday party. The activities you plan can make or break the party, so it's best to have a few extra tricks (or webs!) up your sleeve, just in case. Don't worry! We've outlined the party activities in great detail below, along with an extra activity idea and some modifications for an indoor party.

One of the things that became ingrained while I was student teaching was this: change the stimulus every 15 minutes, or else. The same holds true for a child's party. Below you'll find the activities are divided into 15-minute chunks, with a longer break allowed for lunch and cake. When you change things up often, the kids don't have time to get bored.

It is helpful to keep a shopping bag for each activity with all of the supplies needed. Or for activities with larger supplies, such as the boxes needed to "Rebuild the City," you may wish to keep them piled up with a tablecloth or old bed sheet covering them up. Go through the activities and supply lists ahead of time to organize everything. A few minutes of preparation in advance will do wonders in ensuring a smooth-running party.

ROCmomma TIP: Write each child's name on the inside of the Spider-Man masks before the party. This way you always know which mask belongs to whom throughout the party. Also, if the tattoos are connected on one sheet, it is helpful to cut them apart ahead of time and store in a baggie or small container.

Explain to the kids that Spider-Man is counting on each of them to become a super-hero and help save the city. In order to become a super-hero, they each have to complete the five activities in Super-Hero Training Camp.

Super-Hero Training Camp Activity #1: Practice using their spider-sense to play the Spider-Man game. This activity may be done indoors as well.

Pin Spider-Man on the Villains game was lots of fun for us. Unfortunately, it is no longer available, but there is another Spider-Man game available through Party City.

Super-Hero Training Camp Activity #2: Villain Wrap! Practice using their spider web to wrap up a villain. This activity may be done indoors as well.

Divide into teams of 3-4 and ask each team to choose someone to be the villain ("bad guy"). The other teammates will use the toilet paper as their spider web to wrap up the villain.

Super-Hero Training Camp Activity #3: Rebuild the City! The villains have destroyed the city, and Spider-Man is counting on each super-hero-in-training to help rebuild the city.

Divide into two teams; each person may only pick up one box at time. Bring the boxes to their team's area and stack them to see which team can build the tallest building.

ROCmomma TIP: For an indoor party, you may want to use ordinary blocks to recreate this activity on a smaller scale.

Next, we crawled under the spider web (yarn set up between two folding chairs).

Then we dodged the villains by weaving through the cones. (Supplies needed: soccer cones, garden stakes, and villains* printed on card stock and attached to the stakes with packaging tape)

Next we crawled through the tunnel.

And jumped over a few buildings (just take some boxes from Rebuild the City).

Last but not least, a bean bag toss to get a villain. (We had the game Toss Across. I printed out some villains* to attach to the game. There was a pre-made toss game on Amazon but with shipping charges, this was way less expensive.)

ROCmomma TIP: Indoor parties CAN have an obstacle course. You can still set up a course where the kids crawl under the web, weave (walking) between cones/villains, crawl through a tunnel (or under a tall chair), jump over buildings, and hit a villain on the toss game.

Super-Hero Training Camp Activity #5: Zap the Villains! To finish their training, these super-heroes must use their own spider-webs to defeat the villains.

ROCmomma TIP: Remove the seal around the caps ahead of time. While you explain the rules to the kids (e.g., do not spray faces), have one adult shaking the cans and have a second adult spread out the cones with the villains (from the obstacle course).

ROCmomma TIP: You may be able to get the kids to help pick up the silly string by challenging them to see who can make the biggest ball out of the string!12:00 - 12:30 p.m. - Lunch & Cake
Get the kids seated, pass around the wet wipes, and serve lunch. We sang "Happy Birthday" and served cupcakes and ice cream immediately afterward. It's much easier to get the kids seated once, rather than have them play, eat, play, eat.

This is also a great time to take pictures of all your guests. Walk around and ask each child to make his or her best Cupcake Face. I like to print the pictures and slide one into each thank-you card so that our guests have a little something to remember all the fun they had at the party.

We ended the activities with a Spider-Man piñata found at Party City. The pull-string piñatas are a great option since they can be used indoors or out. We have also found that injuries tend to happen when you hand a baseball bat to a blind-folded kid. True story.

After the piñata, the kids went back to free play. However, if you'd like to fill the remaining time with a more structured activity, try a good old scavenger hunt (below).Bonus Activity: Spider HuntSupplies needed: plastic spiders or spider rings (Note: Party City has bins of small items and we were able to find spiders. You may also want to try Michael's - they have a section with bins of small toys and sometimes have plastic animals and insects.)

Simply hide the spiders before the party. Explain to the kids that some radioactive spiders have escaped Spider-Man's lab and he needs their help to recover them all. The kids can add the spiders they find to their goodie bag.

ROCmomma TIP: For outdoor parties, you may wish to place the spiders in snack-sized plastic bags or to tie bright ribbon to the spiders. This will help kids identify the prize and avoid picking up an actual garden critter.

1:00 p.m. - The Party Is Over
Say thank you, and say good-bye, because your party is done! Make sure they have their goodie bags and masks, and send the kids on their merry way. Then help yourself to a post-party cocktail (or a cupcake) to celebrate your hard work. YOU DID IT!

* FREE PRINTABLES: Here are the printables I created for this party in PowerPoint for Mac. Here is another pdf version, in case you have trouble opening the PowerPoint version. Please note that I do not own these images, nor do I have permission to sell them. These are FREE and are for your personal use and convenience only.

We hope these ideas have been helpful, and that you have a truly AMAZING birthday party for your child! Be sure to check out the rest of the How to Have an Amazing Spider-Man Birthday Party series for more ideas:

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Now that you have your invitations, thank you cards, decorations, and super-hero attire, you are ready to think about goodie bags and party food. Dig in and enjoy these ideas for your amazing Spider-Man birthday party!

Goodie Bags

Some of our guests have severe food allergies, so we tried to avoid most edible treats for the piñata and goodie bags.

Party Food
The tables were set with plastic cups filled with fruit bars that had Spider-Man faces* glued onto the package, so the kids could help themselves. We also set up a cooler with juice boxes and a beverage dispenser with ice water.

For lunch we had a sheet pizza delivered, plus had a few sandwiches of SunButter and jelly made for anyone who did not like pizza or is lactose-intolerant. SunButter is made from sunflower seeds, is peanut-free, and is made in a facility that is peanut-free, so it is safe for those with tree-nut allergies. We also offered cups of grapes.

ROCmomma TIP: Wash the grapes ahead of time, remove from stems, and place in small plastic cups the night before or morning of the party. Place cups in a large tray and keep, loosely covered, in the refrigerator until party time. This makes serving the kids a breeze!

Dessert was cupcakes and ice cream.

ROCmomma TIP: The day before the party, scoop ice cream into cupcake liners. Place in a large tray and store, loosely covered, in the freezer until party time. We used Spider-Man cupcake liners. This time-saving tip makes it quick, easy, and mess-free to serve ice cream to a bunch of hungry kids!

We used the same Spider-Man cupcake liners for the cupcakes. To keep them allergen-free, we used Cherrybrook Kitchen chocolate and yellow cake mixes and vanilla frosting mix (to accommodate a dairy allergy, we used dairy-free vegan margarine in place of the margarine for the frosting).

Spider-Man's colors may be red and blue, but my son's favorite colors are green and blue. The cupcake frosting reflects his choice of colors, and were decorated using Wilton decorating icing tubes in black, red, blue, and white.

To make the spiders, use the decorating tubes to make a circle just above the center, and then a long diamond below. Draw two bent lines going up and two going down on each side to make the legs.

To make the spider webs, use the decorating tubes to write the number of the birthday you are celebrating. Draw lines at the 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00 positions, and then draw one line between each of those (8 lines, all together). Draw the scalloped edge of the web by connecting the outer point of each line to the next line. Repeat the same types of lines to surround the number in the center.

To make the Spider-Man faces, you might want to purchase cake decorating pieces for this purpose instead of attempting it yourself. Unless you are really skilled with decorating tubes. I am not so skilled, so I gave up on these after four attempts. At least they still tasted yummy.

* FREE PRINTABLES: Here are the printables I created for this party in PowerPoint for Mac. Here is another pdf version, in case you have trouble opening the PowerPoint version. Please note that I do not own these images, nor do I have permission to sell them. These are FREE and are for your personal use and convenience only.

Have fun filling your goodie bags and designing your party menu! Be sure to check out the rest of the How to Have an Amazing Spider-Man Birthday Party series for more amazing ideas:

The tables were covered in red and blue plastic tablecloths from Dollar Tree.

Since the party was in the backyard, we created signs* to lead everyone around back.

We had lots of foam sheets in our craft bins, plus some garden stakes in the garage. We printed the signs* on white card stock, trimmed and attached them to foam sheets along with some Spider-Man stickers. Then we attached the garden stake to the back with packaging tape and tied a red or blue balloon to each stake.

Attire

As the host family, it is mandatory to be dressed in super-hero shirts. Capes are optional. This is a great time to get a second use out of old Halloween costumes! No costumes on hand? No problem. We have had luck in both Old Navy and Target to find super-hero t-shirts. The birthday boy wore Spider-Main (of course!), ROCpoppa wore Captain America, and ROCmomma wore Wonder Woman. Little brother asserted his independence and chose a Toy Story shirt instead. Oh well; we tried.

* FREE PRINTABLES: Here are the printables I created for this party in PowerPoint for Mac. Here is another pdf version, in case you have trouble opening the PowerPoint version. Please note that I do not own these images, nor do I have permission to sell them. These are FREE and are for your personal use and convenience only.

Have fun decorating and finding your favorite super-hero on a t-shirt! Be sure to check out the rest of the How to Have an Amazing Spider-Man Birthday Party series:

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

At the end of my son's sixth birthday party, one of the ROCpoppas commented, "This was great! No one has birthday parties like this anymore."

It's true; lately most kids' birthday parties seem to be at a venue, rather than at home. And I get it: someone else does the set up and clean up, the activities are already planned, and sometimes the goody bags are even done for you. How can you pass up all that?

But if you enjoy working with your child to pick the theme and throwing a personalized party, but you don't enjoy all the planning, I can help. Here are ROCmomma's tips and tricks for a truly Amazing Spider-Man Birthday Party!

Invitations

The Easy Method:
Type the party information* four times on one page (postcard or quarter-card style) and print on card stock. Cut each sheet into quarters and let your kid decorate the other side with Spider-Man stickers.

Ink your "thank you" stamp with black ink and stamp along the right side (long edge) of the red card stock.

Center and glue the stamped red card stock onto the front of the folded white card.

Align the spider web paper strip along the left edge of the red card stock, and adhere.

Center and glue the comic-strip image onto the spider web paper.

* FREE PRINTABLES: Here are the printables I created for this party in PowerPoint for Mac. Here is another pdf version, in case you have trouble opening the PowerPoint version. Please note that I do not own these images, nor do I have permission to sell them. These are FREE and are for your personal use and convenience only.

Have fun making your invitations and thank you cards! Be sure to check out the rest of the How to Have an Amazing Spider-Man Birthday Party series:

Thursday, October 17, 2013

If you have kids and live in the Rochester area, you must check out the Family Halloween Fest on Sunday, October 27.

The festivities take place from 2 - 5:00 p.m. in the St. John Fisher College Field House, 3690 East Avenue, Rochester, NY. Admission is free; simply bring one canned good per person to benefit the Pittsford Food Cupboard. There are hay rides outside, but the other activities are all indoors.

After turning in your canned goods, trick-or-treat down the corridor and into the gym for one amazing, spooktacular Halloween party.

Trick-or-treating down Sesame Street(2012 theme)

There are carnival games to play,

sugar cookies to decorate,

a coloring contest,

refreshments, entertainment, and a costume parade.

There's a giant spider in the gym!

Kids can even have their picture taken with local heroes.

This event has become one of my favorite ways to celebrate the Halloween season with my family. Each year, I am awe-struck by the talent and dedication of all the volunteers who work so hard to pull this event together. So, grab your costumes and your canned goods, and we'll see you at Family Halloween Fest on October 27th.

Be sure to Post a Comment and tell us the part your kids liked best. As always, thanks for reading.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

You know how those Bloggy Moms seem to have it all together? They make the best crafts, yummiest treats, and post about holidays way in advance to help their readers? They post beautiful pictures of their joyful cherubs immediately after finishing seasonally appropriate activities with them.

Yeah, well, I am NOT one of those moms. Sure, I post about the good stuff. Behind the scenes? Chaos. Finding time to write during the day is on par with a Zelda-level treasure hunt. Then, actually writing during the day merely reminds my boys that they were just about to ask to play a computer game. Writing at night interferes with my ROCpoppa paying the bills online... Wait. Who am I kidding? Writing at night interferes with cleaning up the kitchen, folding laundry, getting ready for the next day's chaos, and falling onto the couch to watch shows that have been on the DVR since August.

This is my long explanation for the fact that this article should have been written and posted two weeks ago. Many apologies, and here we go anyway...

It's that glorious time of year. We bundle up for the morning bus stop, and change into shorts when the bus returns the kids home. The leaves are gorgeous, bold colors, and perfect for piling up and jumping into the crunch. Pumpkin spice lattes flow like water. Yes, it's fall.

So it's time to pick your pumpkins.

If you live in the Rochester, NY area, you are lucky. Pumpkin patches are aplenty around here, and these farms have so much more than pumpkins:

Free daily activities include the giant teepees with amazing jack-o-lanterns displayed inside, a small petting zoo, and lots of photo opportunities. Purchase your tickets inside the market for the spooky hayride.

With two more weekends to pick your pumpkins and enjoy the Halloween and fall festivities at these farms, now is the time to make plans to take advantage of all these activities. Be sure to Post a Comment and let us know which farm is your favorite for fall family fun! As always, thanks for reading.

Friday, October 4, 2013

Do your kids like animals? Do they like trick-or-treating? Then you need to check out ZooBoo at the Seneca Park Zoo.

Grab your costumes and get ready for some fun at the zoo on October 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, or 27. They'll provide a ZooBoo trick-or-treating bag, as well as a "passport" for each trick-or-treater.

Costume? Check. Zoo Boo bag? Check.

Stop by the trick-or-treat stations to get your passport stamped and pick up your treats. The fifteen trick-or-treat stations are located in the zoo buildings, which makes it easy to enjoy the day even if the weather doesn't cooperate. The nice part about the treats here is that about half are trinkets, so it's not all candy. Plus, each trick-or-treater receives a gift as they exit the zoo. This can be an invaluable incentive to leave for those kids who are reluctant to do so. (Translation: If your kid pulls a tantrum and doesn't want to go home, bribe them with the gift at the end. Not that I've ever done that. No.)

Be on the lookout for some zoo mascots, too!

The animals get to enjoy some treats throughout the day, too. Be sure to check out the schedule that day to visit the animal exhibits and watch them have some fun.

ZooBoo is family friendly and appropriate for all ages. There is nothing scary here! Plus Seneca Park Zoo is stroller-friendly, features several restrooms each with diaper-changing tables. The concession stands will be open for lunch or snacks.

Non-members need to pay admission, but ZooBoo tickets are only needed for trick-or-treaters (both members and non-members need to purchase ZooBoo tickets for $8 for each trick-or-treating child). Pre-sale tickets for zoo members are $6 each and are not date-specific so they may be used on any ZooBoo day this month.

ZooBoo is a great way to extend the Halloween festivities beyond October 31st, have some family fun, and to get at least one extra use out of your kids' Halloween costumes! After you visit, be sure to Post a Comment to tell us your child(ren)'s favorite ZooBoo treat. As always, thanks for reading.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

If you're looking for a fun new way to celebrate autumn with your family, look no further than Corfu, NY.

Captain Hook & Mr. Smee Show

Holiday Hollow is a Renaissance Fair-type of setting and is home to some truly entertaining performance art. When you enter this little village, you may be greeted by some of the actors, in character. Walk around the Halloween Shire at your own pace and stop by the shows, play some games, and take in the scenery. There are seven shows that rotate continuously throughout the day, and move to the heated indoor theater in case of inclement weather. From pirates to witches to ditzy gypsies, they have it all.

Wacky Witch Show

The shows are family-friendly and might leave your kids laughing themselves silly. Plus there are some jokes just for you that will go right over their heads. The one show that may not be suitable for younger children is the Hunt for Jekyll and Hyde. The Mr. Hyde costume might be a little overwhelming for wee ones; our five-year-old loved it, but our three-year-old opted to skip out and get a cookie instead.

Holiday Hollow is located at 1410 Main Road (Route 5) in Corfu, NY. It is open during October weekends from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. although it's best to arrive by noon to see all the shows. Admission is $13 for ages 11 and up, $12 for ages 3-10, and free for children 2 and younger. Be sure to check out their web site and print the Show Times and Prices page to receive one dollar off each admission. There are additional charges for food, pumpkins, and games.

What else do you need to know? Most of the Halloween Shire at Holiday Hollow is stroller-friendly (The Hunt for Jekyll and Hyde is probably the only area that is not stroller-friendly). There are port-o-potties on site, however there are no diaper changing facilities.

There certainly are lots of Halloween and Fall festivities in the Rochester area this month, but the Holiday Hollow Halloween and Pirate Festival is one you don't want to miss. Be sure to Post a Comment after your visit and tell us your favorite show. As always, thanks for reading.

About Me

ROCmomma is dedicated to finding fun things to do in the Rochester, NY area, awesome (but easy) craft projects for young kids, kid-friendly recipes, as well as tips for the rare date night or girls' night out.